meniscus
[mi-nis-kuh s]
- a crescent or a crescent-shaped body.
- the convex or concave upper surface of a column of liquid, the curvature of which is caused by surface tension.
- Optics. a lens with a crescent-shaped section; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens.
- Anatomy. a disk of cartilage between the articulating ends of the bones in a joint.
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Origin of meniscus
1685–95; < New Latin < Greek mēnískos crescent, diminutive of mḗnē moon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for meniscus
Historical Examples
A meniscus, so called from its resembling the crescent moon.
Sometimes, as in the Ornithorhynchus, the meniscus is absent.
In order to obtain an accurate result, the meniscus should be removed.
The Book of CheeseCharles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk
With most instruments the reading is taken from the bottom of the meniscus.
A Manual of Clinical DiagnosisJames Campbell Todd
The temperature of the thermostat is then raised degree by degree, and the height of the meniscus at each point ascertained.
The Phase Rule and Its ApplicationsAlexander Findlay
meniscus
- the curved upper surface of a liquid standing in a tube, produced by the surface tension
- a crescent or half-moon-shaped body or design
- a crescent-shaped fibrous cartilage between the bones at certain joints, esp at the knee
- a crescent-shaped lens; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens
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Word Origin
C17: from New Latin, from Greek mēniskos crescent, diminutive of mēnē moon
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for meniscus
n.
"crescent-shaped body," 1690s in reference to lenses, c.1812 in reference to liquid surfaces, Modern Latin meniscus, from Greek meniskos "lunar crescent," diminutive of mene "moon" (see moon (n.)). Related: Meniscoid.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
meniscus
(mə-nĭs′kəs)- A crescent-shaped body.
- A concavo-convex lens.
- The curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a container that is concave if the liquid wets the walls and convex if it does not.
- A disk of cartilage that acts as a cushion between the ends of bones in a joint.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
meniscus
[mə-nĭs′kəs]
- A lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other.
- The curved upper surface of a column of liquid in a container. The surface is concave if the molecules of the liquid are attracted to the container walls and convex if they are not. See also surface tension.
- A piece of cartilage shaped like a crescent and located at the junction of two bones in a joint. The meniscus acts to absorb shock.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.